The Truth in the Confession
by Oliviet
Summary: He didn’t think he had heard her right. There was no way he could have. He’d spent all of these years trying to see things from her belief system, and now here she was converting to his. Chapter 3 up with 100th episode insight!
1. Getting There

**AN: First strictly Bones thing I've ever posted. My only other Bones story is my crossover with SVU and House, so we'll see how this goes without my EO comfort zone here to help me out. Set after **_**The Dentist in the Ditch**_**. Enjoy! **

He didn't think he had heard her right. There was no way he could have. He'd spent all of these years trying to see things from her belief system, and now here she was converting to his.

They left the pub side by side, bidding Jared and his new fiancé farewell. He looked over at her. She appeared to be unphased by her recent confession. He, however, was a ball of nerves. _She believed in love_. For five years, all he'd heard was about how the heart was just a muscle and love was nothing more than a chemical reaction in the brain. And now here she was, admitting that maybe love was something more _and_ giving _him_ the credit for allowing her to see it that way. Was this really happening?

"Bones?"

She turned to him, her blue eyes piercing through the darkness of the night.

"Why now?"

Confusion etched across her face at his question.

"Why now what, Booth?"

"What you said back there, in that toast…"

"What about it?"

"Bones, you…you've finally started to see love for what it really is?"

"I've always seen love for what it really is, Booth. It's the rest of the world who doesn't get it."

Booth ran a hand over his face. Why was she making this so difficult?

"You said that you believed that love could be something more than a chemical reaction because of me."

"I did."

"And do you believe that because of what I've done for your relationship with your father or…"

"Or?"

"Or because of me?"

"I fail to understand your question. I stated that you were the reason why I'm willing to change my views, so…"

"Bones, you're not…you're not comprehending here."

"Well you're not being very clear."

Booth sighed in frustration. "Okay, let's try this. What have I done to suddenly make you believe in love?"

Even in the dark of night, Booth was able to make out her change in facial expression as she finally understood what he had been trying to ask.

"Oh…well…I…"

She opened her purse and starting looking through it.

"I really should be getting home. Did I leave my keys at the table?"

"I drove you here. And you're avoiding the question."

"Booth, I…"

It was clear to him that she was really struggling with this. That alone was enough of an answer for him.

"Bones, it's okay. I get it."

She looked back into his eyes.

"Do you?"

"It's hard for you to admit."

"What is?"

"Oh, you know."

"Yes, I do. Do you?"

"Well, I…"

"You don't want to say it because you're afraid you'll be wrong and then things will be awkward."

"You know me too well," Booth sighed, heading for his SUV.

"You're right you know," Brennan said, following him.

"How do you even know what I'm thinking?"

"Like you said, I know you too well."

~*~

The moment Brennan walked into her office the next morning, she was bombarded by a very excited Angela.

"This is huge!" Angela exclaimed.

"Does this have anything to do with the fact that Hodgins proposed when he found out that you were pregnant with Wendell's baby?"

"What? No! This is about you telling Booth that you love him!"

"What? I never said that!"

"Right and I'm really pregnant."

"Congratulations."

"Come on, Bren. Tell Angela what happened."

Brennan walked around from behind her desk and brushed past Angela out of her office.

"Nothing happened."

"I'm not saying that you jumped the guy right then and there, although you should have. I just want to know what finally made you come to your senses."

"Angela, I don't know what you heard or even who you heard it from, but I can assure you that I did not tell Seeley Booth that I love him."

"Jared seems to think so."

Brennan sighed and walked up onto the platform to examine their latest murder victim. What was it with these Booth boys and her toast? She didn't understand.

"There appears to be a small fracture on the skull. Have you done the facial reconstruction yet?"

"You haven't given me the tissue markers yet…and you're avoiding the question."

"Miss Wick was supposed to do those. Where is she?"

"My guess would be with Sweets. He came in 20 minutes ago looking for you and ran into her. Haven't seen either one since. Now, can we get back to your undying love for your partner?"

"Ange, I never told Booth…"

"Never told me what?" Booth asked, swiping his card for clearance at the base of the platform.

"That she misses you when you're not around," Angela answered with a smirk.

"I was _not_ going to say that."

"Then what _were_ you going to say?" Booth asked with a smirk of his own.

Brennan ignored him and turned to Angela. "Theoretically if I had said it, what makes you believe that I meant it?"

"Because you do? You're also not one to go around making comments that aren't true."

"Which leads us back to the point that I never said it."

"I'm lost," Booth stated.

"As you should be," Angela said, patting him on the back. "I'll let her fill you in."

She left the platform. Booth turned his gaze to Brennan, who was examining the body.

"Find cause of death yet?"

She held up the skull for him to see.

"Yeah that probably did it."

She nodded and placed it back on the table.

"Are you going to talk to me?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything."

"Anything."

"Cute."

Brennan laughed and started to head back to her office. Booth was right behind her.

"Your brother seems to think that I'm in love with you."

"Does he now?"

"Yes, and for some reason he asked Angela about it."

"I see," Booth nodded, entering her office. "And what did she have to say about it?"

"She believes it."

"What about you?"

"What'd I tell you yesterday?"

"You know that whole conversation was a little confusing for me. Remind me?"

"I believe in love now…because of you."

"And what does that mean exactly?"

"What does 'I love you in an atta girl way' mean exactly?"

"Hey, you said it back!"

"That doesn't mean that I don't know what it means."

"That was a very confusing sentence."

"Booth…"

"You mean a lot to me, Bones. If you only knew…"

"I've thought you were dead twice now. I think I know what it's like to mean a lot to a person."

"Twice?"

"I didn't know if you'd wake up from that coma…"

"I never meant to you hurt you. I should have told you –"

"Can we not get into this right now?"

"Yeah, sure."

"My point is, Booth, I feel something when I'm with you and it scares the hell out of me."

Booth moved closer to her. "I'm scared too."

He reached out and brushed her hair off her shoulder much like he had done that night she had made that huge discovery. And this time, when he leaned in to kiss her, no one was there to stop him.

**AN: Happy messages *cough* reviews *cough* are always welcome. :)**


	2. Return

**AN: Sorry for the delay in this. I wasn't sure where I was going to take this story, but I figured it out now. Enjoy!**

It had been a week since he'd kissed her. She'd been avoiding him ever since. In fact, she decided to take another trip back to Guatemala. Apparently this was her country of choice for avoiding awkward moments between them. Booth thought back to the last time she'd left him. He'd been trying to separate fact from fiction; his wife from his partner. He'd told her he was fine, told Sweets that he was fine, and so she left to go on a dig. But the truth was that he hadn't been fine. He had still felt like he was in love with her, and that feeling had never left.

Booth knew from that conversation they'd had last week that she was starting to feel the same way. She'd sort of admitted it… and then there was that kiss. It had started out soft and gentle and had ended with Brennan pinned against the wall and Booth trailing kisses down her neck. He'd pulled away and stared at her, her arms still pinned above her head. She returned his gaze before slipping away and heading all the way to Guatemala.

He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. Now he was just wondering if she would call him. She usually did the day before she left whatever country she was in, confirming a ride home from the airport. But he was normally the one to drop her off too and this time she had called on Angela for that task. Then his cell phone started ringing and he noticed it was her.

"Ready to come home already?"

He was answered with silence.

"Bones? Are you there?"

"Yes."

"Is something wrong?"

Silence.

"Bones?"

"Just…talk to me."

"About what?"

"Anything."

Something was definitely wrong. It couldn't be that she missed him so much, that she just needed to hear the sound of his voice, could it? No, of course not. That would be completely unlike her. So what was it then?

"Umm…Parker's school called me today telling me that he was pulling some girl's hair at recess."

"You know that could be a sign that he likes her."

"Yeah, I know that he does."

"From experience?"

"I did my share of pig-tail pulling back in the day if that's what you mean."

She was silent again.

"Seriously, Bones, what's on your mind?"

"My plane lands tomorrow morning at 10. I'll see you then."

"Wait I –"

It was too late. She had hung up on him. Booth couldn't figure out where he'd screwed up. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered if the reason she was so upset was _him_.

~*~

Booth waited impatiently outside of gate B2 for her arrival. Her plane had been delayed, and the longer he waited for her, the more scenarios his mind was able to construct about what was really bothering her. Just as he considered the fact that maybe she'd met someone she liked better in Guatemala, he saw her brown curls bouncing out of the gate.

"Bones!" he called, waving her down.

Her blue eyes lit up immediately when she saw him and she abandoned her carry-on luggage to engulf him in a hug. He held her to him tight, wanting nothing more than to hold on forever. He wanted to tell her that he had missed her, but he was afraid of pushing her away.

"How was your trip?" he asked instead.

She remained silent, not moving out of the hug. Reluctantly, he moved away from her, trying to get a read off of her face. She was avoiding his gaze.

"Something is clearly wrong. Talk to me, Temperance."

At the mention of her first name, he head snapped up and her eyes finally locked onto his.

"I'm fine," she said, softly. "Just glad to be home."

Booth sighed dropping the issue…for now. Instead he moved on to another pressing topic.

"So then why did you leave?"

"I just…I had to."

"Because of me?"

"Booth –"

His phone chose that moment to go off. Try as he might to ignore it, the person calling was persistent.

"Hello?"

He followed Brennan as she wondered off to retrieve the rest of her luggage.

"We've got a body," he told her, hanging up his cell.

She sighed, hoisting her suitcase off of the baggage terminal.

"It all seems kind of pointless, doesn't it? No matter how many murderers we put away, more and more people continue to take innocent lives."

"Bones, what's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," she replied, heading towards the exit. "Can we stop by my place first so I can change?"

"Yeah. Sure."

Okay, something was _definitely_ wrong.

~*~

"Radial fractures on the skull suggest cause of death."

"Why won't you talk to me?" Booth asked, coming up beside her.

"I am talking to you. I just told you that this man died by a fatal blow to the head," Brennan replied.

"I meant about your trip to Guatemala."

"It was warm."

"Bones…"

"One sec," she told him, answering her ringing cell phone. "Dr. Brennan."

"Did you like my gift?" asked the man on the phone.

"I'm sorry, who is this?"

"A fan. So did you like my gift?"

"What gift?"

"Answering a question with a question, you should know better than to do that Temperance."

"Who did you say this was?"

"Enjoy the gift," was the last thing he said before hanging up.

Brennan stared at her phone, confused.

"Who was that?" Booth asked.

"Good question."

"Dr. Brennan!" Nigel-Murray called. "I think you should come see this."

Booth and Brennan exchanged a look before walking back over to the remains. Nigel-Murray had one of the femurs under the microscope.

"Here, look at this femur," Nigel-Murray instructed.

Brennan looked into the eyepiece. What she saw shocker her. She backed away from the table, thinking about the strange phone call she had just received.

"What is it, Bones?" Booth asked.

"Someone managed to carve 'To Temperance' into this bone," she explained.

"With what?"

"I'm not sure. Mr. Nigel-Murray, get Hodgins to see if he can find any particulates in the carving that might suggest what it was carved with."

He nodded and went off to find Hodgins. Brennan turned to Booth.

"The guy who just called told me to enjoy the gift. I think it was the killer."

"Give me your phone," Booth told her. "Maybe we can trace the call."

She nodded and did so, looking bewildered.

"Don't worry, Bones. We'll figure this thing out, we always do."

**AN: Sorry this was so short… Reviews are the key to my heart! ;) **


	3. Not What You Want

**AN: CONTAINS SPOLERS FROM THE 100****TH****!!!! The 100****th**** is forcing me to take this back in the direction I had originally planned, before the idea for chapter two broke. So I guess I just have to combine the angst I was looking for with the mystery of my recent addition. Thanks for all of the adds by the way. I love knowing people are out there reading. Wrote this after a very long day, so ignore any typos please. Enjoy!**

He sat across from her at the diner, still trying to get a read off of her facial expressions. The call had been traced back to a disposable cell phone, and ever since, she'd seemed even more distant and distraught than she had last night when she called.

"Bones…you have to talk to me here. Seriously, I can't take this silence."

"That first night that we kissed, were we drunk?"

"Huh…what?"

"After you fired me," she said softly.

Booth thought back. Way back. 5 years and 13 months give or take a week back.

"We'd had a couple shots of tequila…"

"I know, but were we drunk?"

"Where are you going with this, Bones?"

"I'm assuming that since you won't directly answer the question, the answer is yes and you're simply trying to protect me."

"No, I'm just…lost."

"There was no dig in Guatemala, Booth. I just… I had to think. I needed to go someplace where you couldn't just call or come and find me."

"Wh– why?"

"Before I left, we were discussing my new acceptance of the concept of love and… well… did you read Sweets' manuscript?"

"Yeah…"

She fell silent. Again. Why couldn't she just say what was on her mind like she always did?

"Are you implying that Sweets was right in his conclusion, despite the fact that it was nothing more than psychological babble?"

"You're around me way too much," Brennan laughed lightly. "You're starting to talk like a squint. Another reason why this has to stop."

"What has to stop?" Booth asked, feeling like he was on that ride at Disney World that takes you all the way to the top floor and then plummets you to the depths of the basement.

"Us."

It was barely audible, but he heard it. The chord on his ride had just snapped.

"You can't be serious."

"I've done a lot of thinking and I really think this is what's…best…for both of us."

"I'm not really following your train of thought here, Bones. Our first kiss, being drunk, Sweets' book, now this? Where's the pattern? Where's that common denominator thingy you're always talking about?"

"We can't be together. As a couple."

"Why not?"

"It'll just blow up in our faces, so to speak. It did the last time."

"The last time? We were intoxicated. I had just fired you. We'd just met. We barely knew each other. That was six years ago, Bones. Back when we hurt each other with words we didn't even know were hurtful. For example, I feel like I made some comment about your dad, which now I understand was a touchy subject… We've come a long way since our first case. We're a team now. We're best friends."

"And I don't want to lose that –"

"So then, what's the problem?"

"Me."

"You?"

She nodded, fighting back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes.

"How are you the problem, when you're the only thing that I can think about?"

"I'm not right for you, Booth."

"You're perfect, Bones."

Why was she doing this to him? Of course she was right for him, he just _knew_ it. He'd always known and she didn't have the right to try and take herself away from him. Not with the feeling of her soft lips still lingering on his.

"No, I'm not."

Booth felt his vision blurring over with tears of his own. God, only _this _woman could make him cry.

"Booth, you want this perfect happy ever after, you idealize it –"

"What's so wrong with wanting to be happy?"

"Nothing! I'm just…I'm not the person who can give it to you."

"Bones –"

"You want this big white wedding, and this huge family conceived the right way, and this disgustingly happy, blissful, monogamous relationship, and…that's just not me. It's not who I am."

"Bones, three years ago you didn't even want kids the artificial way. You didn't believe in love, but now you're starting to come around. You're capable of change."

"No, I'm not, Booth. I'm a scientist. I believe in the concrete. I don't change."

"Bullshit. _Everyone_ changes, Bones, even you. You already have. When we first started working together for example, you were terrible with people. Look how much better you've gotten with them. Look how much you've loosened up over the years."

"I still don't believe in God."

"And you don't have to. I don't need you to believe in my faith, Bones, I just need _you_."

"Don't you understand that I'm just trying to protect you?"

"From what?"

"From me."

"From you?"

"I can't give you what you want and it's not fair to you. You want to be able to grow old with someone who loves you just as much as you love them. You're a romantic, I get that."

"You don't know that won't happen with us."

"I know me."

"So do I. You would never just walk out on somebody that you loved. You've been on the receiving end of that too many times to do it to someone you really cared about."

"When did I ever say that I loved you?" she whispered.

He felt like she had just slapped him. He knew that she loved him, she _had _to.

"You didn't have to say it. I just _know_ that you do."

"That's illogical, Booth."

"The only thing illogical here is your damn reasoning."

The words felt bitter as they left his tongue. They hadn't fought in the longest time and he suddenly felt the calm before the storm.

"How so?" Brennan asked calmly.

"You've reasoned that we can't be happy together because you refuse to conform to this so-called 50's style lifestyle I supposedly want so badly. But did you ever stop to think that maybe there are other things I want more in life? I guess not, because if you had, your reasoning wouldn't be so flawed!"

"Dammit Booth, can't you just understand that I'm doing this to save you? You don't want me. I'll just end up hurting you!"

"Don't you see that you're hurting me now by doing _this_?"

"Booth –"

"Bones, I know that the coma dream wasn't real, but that doesn't stop me from constantly thinking about it. It doesn't stop me from thinking about how "disgusting, blissfully, happy" we were."

"That wasn't the real me."

"But you wrote it. You sat there giving Kathy and Andy this perfect life and I, in turn, took your book and turned it into us. I know you deleted it, but it was real. I remember hearing your voice reading it to me!"

A soft sob escaped her lips.

"You can't give up on us before you've even give us a chance."

"If he calls again tonight, I'll let you know."

"No, don't you do that. Don't you dare that. We're not done with this."

"Fine, I won't let you know if he calls."

"Forget the damn case, Brennan! We need to finish what we started!"

"I'm done. I'll see you tomorrow, Agent Booth."

She pushed back her chair and slipped into her coat.

"No, Bones. Wait!"

Booth got up and followed her out of the diner. He grabbed her by the arm, stopping her. She turned her icy eyes on him.

"I told you six years ago that I don't like being touched this way."

"And I told you six years ago that you were a cold fish. I guess you were right, Dr. Brennan. Some people just never change."

The ride had hit rock bottom.

**AN: Feedback is always appreciated. **


	4. Tension

**AN: Thanks so much for the awesome response to my last chapter! I love you guys already! Haha Hope I can keep up with the standard I've set. :) Enjoy!**

The whiskey burned as it made its way down his throat. He'd completely lost track of time, although he did notice that the sun had started to rise. Booth reached over and finished off his second bottle of the liquor. He just didn't give a damn about anything anymore, he _couldn't_. Not when he was sure that he'd lost her forever.

He heard a knock on his front door. He prayed to God that it wasn't her; he prayed that it _was_ her. He wondered if he'd even locked the door…

The door swung open. Guess not…

"What the hell did you do now?"

It was Angela.

"Get out," Booth slurred.

"Get out? Get out?! Is that what you told _her_ to do?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"_Brennan_."

Just hearing the name made Booth itch for another drop of whiskey. He examined the empty bottle in his hand.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She didn't come in to work this morning. Neither did you. She won't answer me and you're surrounded by empty liquor bottles. What the fuck did you do?"

Booth laughed, full of venom.

"_She's_ the one who fucked things up. You should be over at _her_ place asking her what she did to _me_."

Angela visibly softened slightly.

"What happened?" she asked.

"She broke up with me before anything ever happened."

"What?"

"She's _your_ friend. Go ask her."

"I already told you she won't answer."

"Did you go to her apartment?"

"Yeah. Unlike you, she locked her door."

"Her hide-a-key is in the plant across the hall. You can go now."

"And just let you wallow in self-pity all day? I don't think so."

"So what do you plan on doing, exactly? I can't go in to work drunk. I refuse to go talk to her."

"Why?"

"She won't listen to me."

"Booth, what did she tell you?"

"We could never have a relationship because she's afraid of hurting me."

"Oh God," Angela breathed.

Booth shook his head, remembering every stinging word that had been exchanged.

"I told her she was a cold fish."

"A cold –"

"But the thing is, she's not a cold fish. She's Switzerland."

"Okay, you've lost me."

"I've lost _her_…again."

"Again? You two got together and I missed it?"

"It was when we'd first met. Caroline had told me to fire her, so I took her out for drinks. She rationalized that since we no longer worked together, we could be together. And after the most amazing kiss of my life, I let her get in a cab and leave. When Caroline told me to re-hire her, this huge argument ensued. She slapped me and walked away and I thought that was the last time I'd ever see her. Even back then I knew that she was perfect for me. I guess she just doesn't feel the same way."

"But she _does_, Booth. I've seen the way she looks at you."

"Then why does she keep pushing me away?"

"Because she's scared."

"Whatever. I'm done talking about this."

Booth made his way into the kitchen and came back with another bottle of whiskey.

"You're not seriously going to drink that are you?"

"What are you going to do to stop me?"

"You know what, Booth? Do whatever the hell you want. Just remember how Brennan reacted the last time you were _dead_."

And with that, she stormed out.

~*~

It was brutal making it into work the next morning. He had almost given up and stayed home, but he had remembered that some psycho was killing people and giving the bodies to Bones as gifts. He may have been furious with her, but he was still worried that this guy was going to go after her too. That was something he would _never_ let happen.

Booth stood at the entrance of the lab, watching her. Her hair was up in a messy bun on top of her head. She moved around the platform sluggishly, almost as if she hadn't gotten enough sleep. She had definitely not taken her own words well either.

Hodgins was holding up that bone with a carving in it. Either he'd found something helpful or he was upset because there was nothing to find.

"I don't care what it takes, Hodgins," Brennan was telling him. "Just get it done."

"But I don't have the resources to –"

"Then find another method!"

She was on edge. Booth wondered if Angela had ever talked to her. As if she had read his mind, Angela appeared next to him.

"She won't talk to me about it," she told him.

"Why not?"

"She said what goes on between you two is just yours."

Booth watched as Brennan threatened Hodgins with the bone.

"You should probably go stop her before she kills your ex," Booth suggested.

"Do it yourself," Angela smirked, walking away.

Booth sighed. He knew he would have to face her sooner or later; he was just opting for later.

"Put the bone down and back away from the bug man."

Brennan slowly turned around and Hodgins took the opportunity to escape. Her eyes were bloodshot and just as icy as before.

"Any progress on the case?"

"What are you doing here?" Brennan asked.

"I work here."

"No, you don't. You're FBI. You work at the Hoover."

"And this," Booth started, gesturing to the remains, "is an FBI case."

She looked like she was about to cry.

"I can't…I can't work with you anymore."

"Bones –"

"No! Just…don't. I'm not getting into this with you again. Goodbye, Agent Booth."

"I'm not going anywhere."

She started to walk away and he reached out and grabbed her in that way she seemed to hate. Brennan responded by slapping him.

"What is wrong with you?" Booth asked, rubbing his jaw.

"I told you. I can't do this anymore."

"Too bad. You're stuck with me."

"Booth –"

"Hold on," he sighed, answering his ringing cell phone.

Brennan groaned and retreated to her office. Seconds later Booth was right behind her.

"You're not going to believe this," he told her.

"What, the fact that you're still here?"

"Ha! No. Your friend left you another 'gift.' This one had a gift tag on it."

She stopped fiddling with her stack of papers, but didn't look up.

"This is serious, Bones. Some guy is _killing_ for you. I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before you're next."

"Don't you think I know that? He called me again last night. Told me he was ready for another round and was disappointed that I hadn't solved round one yet."

"You were supposed to call me if that happened!"

"Like I wanted to talk to your egotistic self last night!"

"Egotistic? Where did _that_ come from?"

"Three words. Cocky belt buckle."

"I thought you loved this buckle."

"So not the point."

"Then what is?"

"You need to leave me alone so I can figure out who this guy is who's stalking me."

"Have you noticed someone following you?"

"No."

"Bones, we're a team. This is what we do, together. No matter what we're feeling for each other right now, this is our _job_. We have to stop him before he kills anyone else…or you."

"I don't –"

"Yes, you do need my help. You can't get warrants without me."

"What if I don't need them?"

"I'm not just going to sit back and watch some psychopath murder you!"

"I can take care of myself, Booth! I've been doing it for years without anyone's help and I'll be damned if I start needing it now."

"Uh guys?"

Booth and Brennan turned to find Cam standing in the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt, but they _really _need you to go examine the remains," Cam explained. "They keep calling. Apparently, they're in a middle of a park and they're attracting a lot of attention."

Brennan shot Booth another icy stare. "Fine. We're going."

She brushed past Cam out of her office.

"Did you two have a fight?" Cam asked, clueless.

"You could say that."

"Booth, are you coming or not? I'm capable of doing this without your assistance, you know."

"Yeah, Bones, I'm coming."

**AN: In the words of a Janet Jackson song, "Feedback." :)**


	5. Changes

**AN: Thanks again for everything, everyone. Just finished watching The Predator in the Pool. Oh those two are so frustrating! Ah but next week, Hotblooded is still their song! Too funny. Anyway, here's the update. Enjoy!**

"This is insane!" Booth couldn't believe how much of a crowd this dead body had attracted. No wonder they wanted Bones down there ASAP.

"Clearly," Brennan mumbled, lifting up the police tape and stepping under it. She knelt down next to the remains. "Female. Late 20s to early 30s. It looks like she's recently given birth."

"How recently?"

"Well, I'd estimate the remains to be about five days old and by the way her pelvic region is so spread apart yet, I'd say that she was killed right after giving birth."

"The sick bastard has a five-day-old baby with him?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if we came across its remains fairly soon."

Booth watched as his partner fingered the gift tag wrapped the body's wrist. He knew that she hated kid cases just as much as he did, especially since she'd decided that she wanted a baby of her own. He wondered if she still wanted one…

"Booth, what if the first victim was the baby's father?"

She had that look in her eyes that made him just want to hold her. Then he remembered that she had rejected him.

"Is there anyway to tell if she's had previous kids?"

Brennan shook her head. "No, but I have a feeling we're going to find out. He probably killed the whole family."

She stood up straight and examined the surrounding crowd.

"Do you think he's one of those people out there?" Booth asked.

"Yes. I just don't know which one."

She stepped back out from the taped off area.

"Bag everything up and send it to the Jeffersonian," she instructed.

A gaggle of camera crews and reporters had started to form along the edge of the park.

"Come on, let's get out of here before they decide to interview us," Booth suggested.

Brennan nodded, surveying the crowd once more.

"Why is he killing these people for me?" Brennan asked softly.

"My guess is that he's trying to challenge you. He probably has some bizarre obsession with you and has read all about our cases. He wants to be the one guy who stumps Dr. Temperance Brennan."

She sighed heavily and started back towards his SUV. He followed her and they drove back to the Jeffersonian in silence.

~*~

Brennan twisted the gift tag from the body in her fingers. He'd written 'To Temperance' on it, but this time he had also left her some sort of code. And try as she might, she just couldn't decipher the code's key. It was illogical, really; she'd always been good at solving cryptograms. But this one, this one was different.

She wondered if it was because she was 'off her game,' as Booth would have put it. Wondered if it was because she just couldn't focus due to the fact that she was hurting him so badly. She heard it in his voice every time he talked to her. She saw it in his eyes every time he looked at her. She noticed it in the sudden loss of intimate touches they used to share so often.

But Brennan knew that she only had herself to blame. She'd caused this, all of this. If only she hadn't made that toast, admitted that there were feelings there, allowed him to kiss her yet again. She knew that she would end up hurting him in the end. She knew it six years ago from the moment they'd started flirting with each other. But she'd allowed herself to tell her that this one would be different. This man, Booth, was going to be the one she let all the way in.

She sighed and opened her desk drawer in search of a paper clip for the paperwork she'd been neglecting. Her eyes instantly fell on Jasper and Brainy Smurf. Brennan closed the drawer quickly, not wanting to be reminded of everything she'd given up.

"Was there a spider in there or something?"

Angela was leaning against the doorframe.

"What? Oh no, it was just…" Brennan trailed off.

"Booth memorabilia?"

She sighed, nodding and pretending to be hard at work in cracking the code from the tag.

"Sweetie, I don't think –"

"I know what I'm doing, Angela. I don't need your advice, not this time."

"That's where you're wrong. You two are both so obviously in pain here. What part of that makes you think that your decision was the right one?"

"Sure, things are hard right now, but they'll get better."

"Right, so when Booth finally does move on, marries some gorgeous blonde, and has three kids with her, you'll be perfectly fine."

"Yes."

"Like hell you won't! Bren, don't you get it? You two are like soul mates!"

"You know I don't believe in soul mates."

"I don't care if you believe in them or not. You guys belong together."

"Look I'm a little busy right now. Can I get this whole 'love exists' pep talk later?"

"Fine, but don't come crying to me when he falls in love with someone who isn't you."

She left Brennan's office in a huff. Brennan rubbed her temples, feeling the beginning of a migraine coming on. Her cell started vibrating, and she froze. She was wondering when that bastard was going to contact her again.

"Hello?"

"Temperance, darling, did you receive my gift?"

"Where's the baby?"

"I'll take that as a yes."

"What did you do with the baby?" she asked more slowly.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"You killed it, didn't you?"

"Killed _her_ actually."

Brennan's free hand curled into a fist.

"Why are you doing this? Why this family?"

"Now that's cheating, Dr. Brennan. It's not _my_ job to solve the puzzle."

"The cryptogram on the gift card?"

"You'd better hurry, gorgeous. Their son is next."

The line went to a dial tone.

"No!" she screamed, frustrated, throwing her phone across the room.

This wasn't happening. There wasn't really some little boy out there depending on her to save him.

"Bones? What's wrong?" Booth asked popping his head into her office. "I stopped by to give Cam something and I heard you scream."

"The baby girl is dead. But they had a son too and if I don't figure out what this damn code means…"

Her voice broke at the thought of being responsible for a child's death.

"Hey," Booth said in that soothing tone that only belonged to him. He was by her side in seconds, hands rubbing small circles on her back. "You can do this."

"No, I can't. This cryptogram is impossible. And if I don't solve it soon…"

"Don't do that. Do not blame yourself if this boy dies. You're not the one who targeted him and killed him."

"But I could've stopped it!"

"He's not dead yet. Come on, let me help you solve this."

"Do you have any experience with cryptograms?"

"No, but maybe that's exactly what you need. You're probably just over thinking it."

Brennan nodded and handed the tag to Booth.

"I'm going to assume that the numbers don't correspond to the alphabet," Booth mused.

"Of course not. That'd be way too simplistic."

Her back burned where his hands had been seconds before. Why had he touched her? These little intimate touches were supposed to be done with now.

"What all have you tried?"

Brennan handed him her sheet of screw ups. Booth looked it over.

"God, you really have tried everything, haven't you?"

She nodded.

"Why don't you have Angela run it through one of her software programs? Maybe it can figure out a pattern."

"Sure."

She got up and started to walk out of her office and towards Angela's.

"We'll get this guy, Bones," Booth assured her. "And we'll get him good."

**AN: Peace. Love. Review. :)**


	6. The One With the Friends Episode

**AN: Thanks for sticking with me, it means a lot! Here's the update, massively long, but that could be a good thing. Haha Enjoy!**

"It's an address," Angela announced.

"And you're sure?" Booth asked.

"When have you ever known me to be wrong about these things?"

"I just want to make sure we have it."

"Booth, we need to go. Right now," Brennan told him.

"We need to get back-up first –"

"There's no time. We can both shoot a gun; we're covered."

"Correction. _I_ can shoot a gun."

"So can I!"

"She did take out that creepy stalker chick who shot you, in one clean shot," Angela pointed out. "She just has to be pissed. And I think right now…she's pissed."

Booth and Brennan's eyes locked on each other. Other than her slapping him at his "funeral" and her later yelling at him in his bathtub, this was something they had never really talked about. Despite her insistence that she had been fine, he'd heard enough from the team to know that she hadn't been.

"All right, let's do this," Booth told her.

She nodded, all of the ice that had been in her eyes the last few days suddenly replaced with fear. Fear was not the emotion he needed from her right now; he needed her to be pissed.

"Just remember, Bones, I didn't tell you I was faking my death."

~*~

"You ready?" Booth asked, pulling his gun as they stood outside of the decoded address.

She nodded, doing the same. Booth knocked down the door and they rushed inside.

"I'll take the upstairs," Booth volunteered. "Yell if you see anything."

He slowly ascended the stairs, gun raised and ready. Adrenaline surged through him with every step. _Please, don't let this be a dead end_, Booth silently pleaded. Then he heard a scream: _her_ scream.

"Bones!"

He rushed back downstairs and found her in the kitchen. She was kneeling over the body of a small dead boy.

"We were too late," she whispered.

Her voice was distant. Booth had never seen her like this regarding remains before. Maybe it was because this one still had a face, dead only a few hours instead of weeks. Or maybe it was because she was doing exactly what he had told her not to do, and she was blaming herself for his death.

"This was their home. That family…He must have kidnapped this boy and waited to kill him until today, after the rest of his family was gone," Brennan said.

"What about the baby's body? We haven't found her yet."

"She's over there."

Booth looked past the boy and found a pile of blankets with a small hand poking out.

"Oh God."

He wrapped an arm around Brennan and led her over to the couch in the living room. She collapsed against him as the tears came.

"I told you not to blame yourself if this happened," Booth said softly.

"I could've stopped this."

"Bones, do not go down this road. Trust me."

She sat back against the couch, burying her face in her hands.

"I work with bones, not bodies."

"I hate to break it to you, but they're the same thing."

Brennan sighed and pushed herself off of the couch.

"There's been no evidence on the other two sets of remains to indicate who the murderer is. There's _always_ evidence."

"The guy is good, but that doesn't mean we won't catch him."

"You said yourself that he wants to be the one man to stump me. Well he did it. I'm stumped."

"Now hold on a sec. He normally leaves you a message with the bodies…"

Booth got up and began to search the kitchen.

"It's over, Booth. He killed them all."

"Not quite," he said, holding up a slip of paper.

Brennan took it from him. "This is my address."

"I know. I'm not letting you go home until we catch this son-of-a-bitch. You're staying with me."

"But Booth –"

"Bones, you're not safe. He could be waiting just behind your front door."

"What about a change of clothes?"

"Borrow Angela's. You're not going back there."

Brennan ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm not sure if us living together is the best idea," she stated.

"I can protect you. Angela can't."

She fell silent, looking back over at the remains.

"Don't let yourself end up like them because we're fighting right now. I'll leave you alone, I promise. Just come home with me."

She found that statement to be oxymoronic. The phrase"come home with me" didn't usually go with "I'll leave you alone."

"Fine. Just as soon as we get these bodies back to the Jeffersonian."

~*~

The first thing Brennan noticed in his apartment were the empty whiskey bottles. He obviously hadn't been expecting her. Her stomach clenched at the realization that she was responsible for the empty bottles.

"Sorry about the mess," Booth muttered, moving to pick them up.

"It's fine," she whispered.

"You can have my bed tonight. I'm fine with the couch."

"I'm capable of sleeping on the couch, Booth. Sleep in your bed."

"Fine. You hungry?"

"A little bet, yes."

"Pizza okay?"

"Fine."

Booth moved into the kitchen to order. Brennan sat down on the couch thinking again of the face of that boy. She couldn't help but help feel guilty. She should've been able to save him. She should have been focused on the case instead of on Booth. This was exactly why she didn't like getting involved in relationships; they took away from her work.

"It'll be here in 30 minutes," Booth stated, joining her on the couch.

"Good."

This was unbelievably awkward. All the comfort and easiness that had once existed in their relationship had been erased.

"This one's really hitting you hard, huh?" Booth asked.

Brennan gave him a quizzical look.

"The case is really affecting you," he rephrased.

"He wants me _dead_. Of course it's affecting me."

"I meant the whole thing with the kids."

"I'm not supposed to be dealing with victims, just bones."

"Do I have to remind you again that they're the same thing?"

"Bones don't have faces."

"Angela gives them faces."

"And there's absolutely no motive for these killings," she continued, ignoring his comment. "They were just random. It doesn't make sense."

"Serial killers are like that, Bones. They kill for the thrill. Remember Epps?"

"How could I forget _him_?"

"And for all we know this killer could be their next door neighbor. We've barely done any investigating, thus far. I sent the bomb squad over to your apartment to do a run through. Maybe the guy will be there and they can arrest him."

"Or maybe I'll have to replace my refrigerator again."

They fell into a silence. Brennan was tired of discussing this case. She was tired of _thinking_ about this case. And in truth, she was just plain tired. She hadn't been able to sleep lately: a combination of her fear that the murderer might know where she lived and the whole catastrophe with Booth.

The pizza arrived and they ate in silence while a rerun of _Friends_ played in the background. Some ridiculous thing about soul mates and lobsters, which apparently mate for life, was the focus of the episode.

"This is ridiculous. Planes don't have phalanges!"

Booth couldn't help but laugh at her. "Not everyone knows the proper terminology for fingers, Bones. To most people, it's probably just a made up word."

"People should be more educated. And seriously this would never happen."

"It's a sitcom. They're supposed to work their way out of impossible situations."

Brennan huffed and continued to watch.

"So she did make it off of the plane," she said softly, minutes later.

Booth smiled, loving how into this she was getting. As the credits began to roll, Brennan turned to face him.

"Was this the last episode or something?"

Booth nodded. "It was. Did you like it?"

"It was sort of sad."

"Series finales always are. Usually the two people everyone's wanted to be together for so long, in this case Ross and Rachel, finally end up together."

"If everyone wants it, why is it sad?"

"Because it's over. Some people spend all of this time fantasizing about how these people will finally get together, and when it does happen, nothing's left."

"That's insane, they're fictional. Don't these people have lives?"

Booth laughed. "They do. It's just a nice escape from reality."

"How so you know all of this?"

"Rebecca was a big Ross and Rachel fan."

"Right so, _you_ never spent any of your free time fantasizing about that moment?"

"Okay, okay I'll admit it. Rebecca had me hooked. I've always had a soft spot for the two of them."

Brennan laughed and God it was good to hear her laugh.

"I told you, you were a romantic."

Booth sighed and started flipping through the TV channels. He stopped on some cop show which was suspended in some "shoot off" moment.

"If he had been there, would you have shot him?" Booth asked, thinking again of the case.

"It depends. He would have had to provoke me."

"If you had seen him right after discovering the bodies of the kids would you have shot him?"

"I don't know. Why are you asking?"

"I just…I can't stop thinking about what Angela said."

"About what happened at The Checkerbox?"

He nodded.

"What about it, Booth?"

"Well, we've never really talked about it and…"

"What is there to talk about? I've already yelled at you for it."

"I just…how did you take the news when you found out that I was dead?"

"Why? Booth, if this is some kind of messed up plan of yours –"

"No plan. I just need to know."

"And now you _need_ to know?"

"Bones, please."

"Booth, I…I fail to see where you're going with this. You started out asking me about this case and now you want to reflect back two years ago? Why?"

He ran a hand over his face.

"I keep thinking about how Angela said you had to be pissed to shoot someone. And then she brought up that whole Checkerbox situation. I realized that, other than you yelling at me, we'd never talked about it. And I know you said that you were fine and everything, but I don't believe that."

"Why does it matter, Booth? Why do you suddenly have the urge to discover the _hell_ you put me through?"

"I'll tell you why after you tell me."

"No."

Brennan got up from the couch and wandered aimlessly into his kitchen. He was right behind her like he had been all week; like every other time that she had tried to walk away from him. She turned around to yell at him for following her, when he pinned her wrists against the counter.

"What are you doing?" Brennan asked, nervously.

"I'm not letting go until you talk to me."

"You can't…haven't you learned by now that this won't fix anything?"

"Haven't you learned by now that Seeley Booth doesn't give up?"

Tears were starting to form in her eyes as she struggled to get away from him.

"Bones, just tell me what happened."

"I can't," she said in a mouse-like voice that in no way belonged to her.

"Why not?"

"Because then you'll know."

"That's sort of the point here, Bones."

"Not like you think it is."

"What?"

She fell silent, letting her gaze drift to the floor. Booth let go of her wrists and tilted her head up to his.

"They…they wouldn't let me see you body. I understand why now, but…Angela and Hodgins had to practically drag me out of there."

He grabbed her wrist again, this time leading her back over to the couch.

"I guess you could say that what I was feeling was equivalent to how I felt when my parents left. Or maybe it was worse because this time I knew you were dead, unlike how it was with my family. I'd seen you get shot, taking a bullet that was meant for me. I'd killed the woman who'd killed you… It was all just so…hard."

Booth's hand unconsciously found its way onto her knee.

"I tried to go in to work the next day, needing the distraction, but everyone told me to go back home. But the thing is, at home, I had nothing to do but think about what had happened. I couldn't even sleep. The whole thing just kept playing over, and over in my mind. In those short three years that we were partners, I had become rather…attached."

"Bones…"

"And that was two years ago. If that were to happen now…if I were to lose…I just…I refuse to let that happen again."

"So in other words, you _do_ love me?"

"I still can't quantify what love is, Booth. But I do care about you… a lot."

"So if the thought of losing me is so unbearable, then why –"

"I don't know."

He couldn't take this anymore. Not being together was hurting them _both_.

"Bones?"

She looked at him, wiping tears from her eyes.

"You were right."

"About what?" she asked.

"I can't be around you and not be _with_ you. It hurts too much. So I…"

Booth got up off of the couch. God, he hoped this approach worked. Because if it didn't, they were officially screwed.

"Don't," Brennan whispered.

He turned around to face her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You can't just walk out of my life."

"Really? Because it seems like that's where you've been trying to push me all week."

She stood up so they were chest to chest.

"I can't not have you in my life. I learned that the hard way two years ago."

"So then why did you tell me that we couldn't be partners anymore?"

Realization dawned on her face. "Unbelievable. You lied to me!"

"What?"

"This whole thing, forcing me to tell you about The Checkerbox incident, it was all part of your plan to get me to tell you about my feelings for you, so you could guilt me into starting a relationship!"

"I wasn't trying to guilt you into anything! I just wanted you to realize that there _is_ something there between us. Did I lie when I told you I didn't have a plan? Yes. Was bringing up this event from two years ago the right way to do this? Probably not. But Bones…I need you."

"Booth –"

"No, listen to me. You want me in your life; maybe even _need_ me in your life. But here's the thing: I am in love with you. I can't move on and I know you can't either. So will you just forget about your goddamned fears and take a chance already?"

**AN: Feedback is heaven. :)**


	7. Sweets

**AN: Just a note that my normal method for line breaks hasn't been showing up on the site lately for some reason. So if something doesn't flow just right, that's most likely why. Sorry for any confusion! Anyway thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. You're all fantastic! Enjoy!**

She stared at him, unmoving. The only sound was that of their breathing. Brennan moved even closer to him, bringing her hand up to cup his face.

"How's this for taking a chance?" she asked.

She closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against his. Booth's hands instantly threaded into her hair, keeping her close in case she suddenly changed her mind. Brennan parted her lips and he took the opportunity to explore her mouth. She tasted just like he'd remembered. Then he felt her biting at his lips, begging for her chance to taste him. He opened his mouth to her in response.

Brennan pulled back, resting her forehead against his as she caught her breath. Booth slid his hands down her sides and rested them on her hips. His fingers brushed over her hipbones, taunting her.

"I want you," she whispered.

He began trailing open-mouthed kisses down her neck.

"To do what?" he asked into her shoulder.

"You know what," she practically growled.

He pressed his body against hers, his hard on pushing into her inner thigh. A soft moan escaped her lips.

"Ah yes, but to you sex is nothing more than a physical release."

Booth nipped at her earlobe and kissed the sweet spot behind her ear.

"But to me, sex is something intimate, meaningful."

He placed a soft, gentle kiss against her lips.

"So it's going to mean something, to us."

He stepped away from her and sat back down on the couch. He turned on the News. Brennan just stood there, bewildered.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

Brennan flopped down on the couch next to Booth in a huff.

"I thought you needed me," she said softly.

"I do."

"Well then…"

"Bones, I'm thrilled that you're not pushing me away anymore –"

"But?"

"But what if you don't really want this? What if you're making a mistake you can't undo?"

"Then let me make my own mistakes, Booth."

"I'm just saying that a couple of days ago you didn't even want to consider this. I don't want us to just rush into things."

They sat there in silence for the longest time, unable to figure out where to go from here. Suddenly Brennan stood up and moved in front of the TV.

"Hey! They were just about to show the baseball scores!" Booth complained.

"I believe that procrastination stems out of fear."

"What are you talking about?"

"Fear of failure, fear of rejection, sometimes the fear is just of making a decision, because what if you're wrong?"

"Bones, I –"

"But knowing is better than wondering, waking is better than dreaming, and even the biggest failures, even the worst, beat the hell out of never trying."

Booth pushed himself off of the couch and moved to wrap his arms around her waist.

"I want this Booth. I've always wanted this. I've just been afraid up until now."

He slid his arms up around her torso and pulled her the rest of the way into a hug.

"It's gonna happen, Bones. I just want everything to be perfect," Booth whispered into her ear.

"It doesn't have to be perfect."

"Yes, it does."

Brennan pulled away to look up at him, but kept her arms around his torso.

"When this happens, we'll be crossing that line we'll never be able to step back over," Booth told her.

"I realize that. But maybe I don't want us to go back."

"What about your concern of FBI dating a consultant?"

"Your boss loves you…and me. I don't think that that's going to be a problem."

"So then, we're doing this? You and I are really happening?"

"If by 'happening' you mean starting a relationship, then yes."

Booth leaned in to kiss her again, suddenly not caring about the baseball scores at all. He was finally getting everything he'd ever wanted. He was getting _Bones_. Sweets was going to have a field day with this one.

(Insert line break here)

Dr. Lance Sweets sat in his office, waiting for his appointment to arrive. They were late…as usual. He couldn't understand how someone as punctual as Dr. Brennan could be 15 minutes late everyday. He didn't peg Agent Booth as someone who was always late either. And yet 15…_16_ minutes later, there was no sign of them. Just when he was about to call them, they walked through the door.

"You're late."

"Have we ever been on time?" Booth asked.

"Well…no, but today you were later than usual."

"That's because we had to go all the way over to Angela's apartment so I would have something to wear today."

"You two spent the night together?" Sweets asked in disbelief. "And why couldn't you go back to your place to get clothes?"

"First of all, it's not what you think, Sweets," Booth told him. "I'm afraid that our current killer is going to try to kill Bones. We know he knows where she lives. So she's staying with me until we know that her apartment is safe."

Sweets nodded, but he wasn't completely convinced.

"So what did you two do last night?" he asked.

They exchanged a knowing glance and smiled. Okay, something had definitely happened last night.

"We watched the series finale of a sitcom," Brennan stated.

"_Friends_," Booth interjected. "It's in re-runs."

"And that took up your _whole_ evening?" Sweets wanted to know.

"We ordered pizza…" Brennan trailed off.

"Yeah, but we ate that _while_ we were watching _Friends_."

And then they were silent.

"Something happened last night, didn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Booth asked.

Sweets looked back and forth between them.

"You…you seem more content with each other than usual."

"We were also later than usual," Booth pointed out.

A small laugh escaped Brennan's lips.

"Guys, this isn't funny!" Sweets protested. "Tell me what's going on."

"Nothing," Brennan smirked. "Everything's normal; well everything except for that man who's trying to kill me."

Sweets led out a frustrated sigh as Brennan's cell phone went off.

"Think that's the guy?" Booth asked. "Put it on speaker."

She nodded as she answered it.

"Dr. Brennan."

"I was very disappointed that you didn't come home last night. We would have had a blast."

"The bomb squad found something," Booth mouthed.

"I guess this means that I _am_ smarter than you," Brennan told him.

"I wouldn't go that far, Temperance. I _did_ leave your address at the scene of the crime. Any idiot could have put two and two together."

She scoffed at the remark.

"But don't you worry your pretty face; I still have big plans for us."

"Care to share?"

"Not knowing is half of the surprise."

Dial tone.

Brennan looked over at Booth.

"I was told that he rigged a bomb to go off upon opening your front door. The bomb squad was able to disarm it," Booth explained. "They uh…called last night."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I'm telling you now."

She sighed and looked away from him as he draped an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I've told you that."

"But what if you can't?"

"Have the two of you committed to a relationship?" Sweets butted in.

Booth and Brennan gave him a brief glance before returning to their own conversation.

"I can and I will."

"Was that a yes?" Sweets asked in amazement. "I was right!"

"Not quite," Brennan corrected him. "Your theory is entirely based off of the dynamics of what you believe to be our first case. Our _real_ first case occurred a whole year before the one you're aware of." She turned back to Booth. "You can't be so sure that you'll be able to protect me no matter what."

"Wait, you've worked together before?"

"That's what the lady said, Sweets. Let it go. Now Bones –"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Sweets exclaimed. "This ruins everything! My book is crap!"

"Oh calm down, Sweets. We ended up together; just like you predicted," Booth pointed out.

"This is unbelievable."

"Booth, what if he knows where _you_ live?" Brennan asked, ignoring Sweets' comment.

"Does he even know who I am?"

Sweets shook his head, trying to forget about this recent change in life and focus on the case.

"Well, in my opinion, he knows exactly who you are, Agent Booth. He seems to be quite infatuated with Dr. Brennan and probably sees you as an obstacle in his way."

"Then why did he put a bomb at my place instead of his?"

"Perhaps he assumed that Agent Booth would be entering your apartment first, as a precaution."

"The blast would have killed us both," Booth explained. "Regardless of who walked in first."

"Well then…I don't know. I'm sorry."

"Perhaps you should have the bomb squad check out your place as well, just to be safe," Brennan suggested.

"Okay yeah, I'll do that." Booth sighed looking over at her. "Hopefully this will all be over soon."

**AN: Feedback is appreciated. :)**


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